SENEGA 317 



avoided the disease by using the plant, while others 

 bitten by the same dog, died. Many instances of the 

 same kind are on record : nay, many who believe in the 

 property, say it never fails. We lack, however, a series 

 of scientific and conclusive experiments, made by well- 

 informed men; they have been discouraged by the ridicu- 

 lous denial of skeptics; but let us hope these may yet be 

 performed." Rafinesque, Mat. Med., Vol. II, 1830. 

 (Italics our own). 



It will be observed that the scholarly Rafinesque, 

 who was familiar with all connected scientific literature 

 to his date, and who refers to such authorities as Tully 

 and Barton, with whom he was intimately acquainted, 

 asserts that the drug had not been given justice, be- 

 cause, to put the matter plainly in his words, the 

 "skeptics" forbade. Nor do we find authoritative data 

 between 1830 and 1920 to weaken this statement. 



SENEGA (Senega or Seneca Snakeroot) 



Official in every edition of U. S. P., from 1820 to 1910. 



Senega, the root of a small North American plant, 

 Poly gala Senega, enjoyed very early a reputation as 

 one of the new remedies produced by America. The 

 Seneca Indians of New York state employed it as a 

 remedy for the bite of the rattlesnake, which led to its 

 notoriety in the hands of Tennent, a Scotch physician 

 in Virginia, who also administered it for coughs. Under 

 the name senega, or rattlesnake root, it came to the 

 attention of Dr. -Mead, of London, and through his 

 efforts and those of others, (even Linnaeus writing a dis- 

 sertation on it), senega root came into great demand. 

 In domestic American medicine it has been continually 

 used as an expectorant, the usual form being that of a 



